Will
Will is a friendly rock ‘n roll-loving python. He is a major character in D. Isaac Thomas’ 2008 graphic novel The Princess and the Lips. Biography Early life Over time, Will developed his skills playing drums and electric guitars. Finally, upon seeing a real rock band, he slithered onto their riverboat. However, this attempt to play with humans ended with his audience panicking at the sight of a snake. The understandably terrified passengers immediately fired at him, forcing Will to slither away. Meeting Jake and Dorothy Will first met Dorothy and Jake when they were stranded in the woods. The duo were terrified of Will when they first saw him, thinking he was about to eat them, but Will revealed his friendly nature by recognizing a tune Jake was playing on his ukulele. Will told Jake of his dream to be a famous rocker in Malodidd, but explains that his last attempt to play with humans ended with his audience panicking at the sight of a snake. When Dorothy and Jake explained that they were actually humans turned into lips by a witch, Will, knowing about magic, told them about the Lightmaker, who might be able to reverse the curse. At first, Will was too scared to take them to the deepest, darkest part of the forest where he lives because of the dangers there, but was convinced by Jake that he could make Will “smaller and less venomous,” so that he can play music for humans without scaring them; Will decided to ask the Lightmaker to turn him human. However, after getting lost in the swamp, they met a dwarf named Ewan, who helped guide them to the Lightmaker’s home. In the mix of their journey, the group encountered a trio of scientists, stunning a fearful Will, who slithered into some pricker bushes to hide. After Jake and Dorothy managed to defeat the scientists, Will’s injuries forced the journey to come to a slight halt, as Ewan needed time to remove each thorn from Will’s body. As they rested, Will bonded with his three new companions, and came to support Dorothy and Jake as lovers. Later on, the boat encountered a series of thorns Miranda has set up to the end of preventing them from reaching the castle. Fortunately, Will was able to bite through the thorns, allowing them to cross. During the bonding, however, the gang was then attacked by a hoard of goats, sent by Miranda, to kidnap Jake. Will, Dorothy, and Ewan chased after the lip prince, until a mysterious being arrived and defeated the animals with ease. Will looked upon in fear as the mysterious being is soon revealed to be the eccentric Lightmaker. The Lightmaker (who wasn’t as fearsome as Will initially assumed) told Dorothy and Jake to “explore beyond the veil” to find what they need, as opposed to what they want, but the Lightmaker also explained to the quartet that the only way for Jake and Dorothy to become human again is for Jake to kill Miranda, who had created the curse in the first place. Will then asked to be human like his two friends, but he told him to “explore beyond the veil” as well. The death of Ewan The friends began to head off, when Will got the idea to have them stow away on a riverboat to get there quicker. However, Will was immediately noticed by a rock-n’-roll band who believed, like themselves, the python was merely a man dressed in an animal costume, and they invited him to play with them in the parade. Thrilled, Will immediately joined them. However, at the Marley Grande parade, Will noticed Ewan fleeing Miranda’s goats and stopped playing. While one of the players asked why he stopped, Will contemplated a choice and decided to go after Ewan by revealing that he’s a real serpent, scaring away the crowds, choosing his friends over his dream. Unfortunately, by the time Will was able to catch up with Ewan, he was too late. Will found the punctured Ewan in Mangrat Cemetery and recovered him, rushing off to find Dorothy and Jake, the dwarf having little time before he departs from the world. Because of Will, Ewan was able to see his friends one last time before peacefully passing away. Crushed, Will immediately began to tear up in sorrow. The heartbroken trio attended Ewan’s funeral to bid a final farewell, and Will played a sad theme on his electric guitar as Ewan’s corpse was pushed away into the river. During a moment of silence, Will and his friends suddenly saw the real Angeline enter. She offered to take Ewan’s body, before leaving and promising to see what she could do to bring him back. Will cheered, as he was under the impression that Ewan finally united with his beloved. Everyone was overjoyed, and the friends headed to the Lightmaker for Dorothy and Jake’s wedding. After Dorothy and Jake were pronounced lip and wife, a kiss followed, turning the two back into human, as Miranda’s spell was now broken because of the latter’s death. The forest inhabitants celebrated the love and success, including Will. Later life Once Jake became King, Will was finally able to live out his dream of being a famous musician, becoming the leader of the Palace’s exclusive band, the Serpent Sextet including Will, even though he was still a snake. Personality and traits Despite his size and ferocious appearance, Will is a gentle giant with a heart of gold. He is very fond of his guitar and drums and his dream is to become a famous rocker who can perform in front of a human audience without scaring anyone. He believes the only way to do this is to become human himself, prompting the serpent to join Dorothy and Jake to find the Lightmaker. He is notable for having a few phobias, though they prove to be understandable. The most notable of which being his fear of guns and the hunters that wield them; this stems from when he jumped onto a riverboat to play with a band, only to jump back into the river amidst a hail of bullets from the understandably terrified passengers. Along with that, Will has a great fear of “pricker brushes” and traps set throughout the rivers, tying in with his fear of hunters. Despite being generally known as a coward, Will has still proven to be quite upbeat and lively a lot of times, specifically when he’s in a good mood or has the urge to play his musical instruments. He has also shown to have a great knowledge about humans and their culture. With riverboats constantly making their way through the rivers of Malodidd, Will has received the opportunity over the years to familiarize various rock tunes, eventually becoming the masterful rocker he is. Aside from music, he also knows quite a lot about human food, which is also shown to be another love of his. Behind the scenes Development Early on in the story, Will was meant to be so cowardly, phobic and timid that even unarmed dwarves can frighten him. Eventually, however, writer D. Isaac Thomas changed the character into what is seen today. Also, Will was, at one point, meant to be a human with a passion for music. However, he was a terrible musician and eventually went to Miranda to gain the ability to play the electric guitar through magic. Miranda gave him the ability, but turned him into a snake as well, leaving Will stranded in the woods trying to find a way to reverse the curse just before meeting Dorothy and Jake. The idea was soon dropped for being too complicated for the story. Design Will is large, overweight, and taller than a grown man. In earlier stages of the book, his design was in the “cartoony” variety, as Thomas states, and was seen with a slightly thinner body, more human like features, and a pair of glasses; this echoes the original concept of Will being a human turned into a snake by Miranda. When the story altered, D. Isaac Thomas used both the references of real-life pythons, and the consult of both of his editors, to arrive at the final design of the snake. Appearances *''The Princess and the Lips'' Category:Characters Category:Snakes Category:The Princess and the Lips characters Category:Tritagonists Category:Males Category:Heroes